Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

Good Morning, Champions. In the interest of maintaining healthy sleep patterns, a day/night cycle is in effect. Your presence is expected in the cafeteria in exactly one hour.

[The voice comes through not a large speaker, but through the device that's attached to each Champion's arm. Further investigation of the features of the device will reveal a list of profiles, a mini-map, and a list of rules. The hallways are shiny white and silver, with running lights along the floor and lights on the ceiling, and at the junction of the hallways is a sign with a knife and fork icon and an arrow pointing down the hall.

Welcome to the Excellence Program, Champions. Time to get to know your teammates.]

Comments

[newcycle]

No... [a pause] ... Do you?

[immaculacies]

I don't know.

[She doesn't. She doesn't know how to explain to someone just what's wrong with her. All that's happened to her is that she's seeing thing through the eyes of a normal human; trying to explain the difference would be like trying to explain color to someone who only sees in black and white.]

Ah. [The other question is a little easier. She hefts the arm bearing her P.I.P, holding it in front of her body as she meets Penny's question with one of her own.] How many is "many"? This thing mentions other people—about two dozen of us.

[in4apounding]

You've. Never heard of the Grimm.

[Penny.exe has encountered an error.]

...oh, are Worms just what you call them in your- ...village?

[Because it can't be anywhere remotely mainstream.]

Giant soulless monsters that attack humans and Faunus on instinct?

[newcycle]

What do you mean "signed up?" [Korra's voice is immediately suspicious. She'd assumed kidnapping, not the other way around.

So... This...

Hm.]

[theundertaken]

You too! [Yay!] For real, though? I live just a couple hours away from where they launch the shuttles. You can go and watch when they send stuff up!

[newcycle]

Uh-- I don't know. What is a Landing Castle?

[but if he recognized it...]

Wait, do you live here?

outside room 2

[hellahighwater]

Not anywhere normal. [ ...Chloe reminds herself to try and be nice. She glances at the windows. ] If you don't wanna have a hella meltdown, don't...look out the window.

[theundertaken]

No. I mean, I woke up here after being...kiiiiiiidnapped into space?

[He says as if he's having trouble with the idea that this is literally what has happened.]

There has to be someone around who belongs here, right?

[immaculacies]

[At that wave, Manaka glances upward, though her reaction is slightly delayed. She cocks her head at Korra, but otherwise, her expression doesn't seem to change.]

People keep asking me that. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer.

[theundertaken]

Oh, cool, great. I guess? [Probably not.] Are you, uh, did you also just wake up here for no reason?

[theworldsliveliestcorpse]

Man if this is a Halloween prank, then I'd be real fucking impressed. But, I'm like 90% sure it ain't October though.

cafeteria

[newcycle]

Is there something bad?

[admittedly, Korra hadn't read the profiles yet. She's still trying to find a radio in this damn thing to call Tenzin, or Asami, or Mako-- someone? Anyone]

And trust me, rule 7's got me worried too.

[hellahighwater]

[ Chloe glances over at her. It's... Oh, wow, hello there. ]

Right there with you, sister. Someone needs a cap popped in their ass.

[newcycle]

So far... everyone I talked to has been kidnapped too.

[she raises her hands to yank at her wolftails and-- oh yeah.]

You're not alone at least.

[lovecolored]

[ oh she likes you already ]

Yeah!

[ She...actually is only vaguely familiar with guns, but she knows they're weapons and she can share this outrage at her own weapon being taken. ]

...dammit, they're not gonna answer us, are they? They gotta be hidin' somewhere.

[andjerry]

["Age: Yes" - she has to be young unless she's immortal somehow (and he's not even going to consider it), and she probably doesn't want people to know she's as young as she is. They're both in the same situation, but she's the child. He's got to keep it together.]

Someone else could have done it. Do you know anybody who's worried about you?

[playthedamncard]

[What in the honest flaming phoenix mode Ra is going on here. It...did say she was a zombie, after all. Apparently her world has vastly different zombies than fiction and cards might suggest. The idea that she could just leave her arm here for him to play with her PIP is incredibly disturbing. And intriguing.]

These things are supposed to be able to check vitals. But you don't have any, do you? Can you even be murdered if you're already dead, in all technicality? [Also in all technicality he supposes the answer is yes. Noa and Gozaburo were both, to be fair, dead in some fashion and still died with terrible finality again. But those were different circumstances not involving zombies.]

[newcycle]

Well, it's pretty stressful! [she motions outward, and then offers her best Avatar Smile.] And I don't blame anyone for not being sure what to think right now.

[theundertaken]

Ooooh, college boy. [He grins.] Your diploma cannot block my lightning-fast colored pencil attack.

[immaculacies]

That seems likely. But... I'm not surprised. If it's supposed to monitor the state of your body, it only makes sense that it would be so well-attached.

[Which is worrisome on its own, when you think about.]

[hellahighwater]

Wow, seriously no one knows the classics around here, do they? [ Is Battle Royale really "the classics?" Who cares, not like these people know. ] It's a book. Or, a movie. About some fuckers who grab a class of kids and make them fight to the death. Sound kinda familiar?

[playthedamncard]

[someone gotta be that dummy might as well be someone well-versed in technology enough to be that dumb]

Fffffine. [He hisses it, so he's not like...super fine, but there's no lasting damage that he can tell.] Dare I say peachy.

[theundertaken]

I know, right? [Max has already seen it, but apparently has no issues with getting dragged.] It's space!

[playthedamncard]

You can still detach a heart monitor. Many medical items used to keep track of your health aren't so permanent.

[newcycle]

No, that sounds awful, actually.

[who the heck would write about that?]

But I guess Rule 7 gave you that feeling, huh.